When sourcing coffee in Vietnam, one of the biggest challenges you might come across is understanding supplier verification, and how it applies to the coffee beans. Quality control is essential, not only because of pricing considerations, but also to ensure that the suppliers conform to food safety legislation in major import markets. In the coffee industry, certification guarantee that specific rules and regulations of quality standards are met. It is meant to improve efficiency, sustainability and profitability for growers on the one hand, while enabling buyers to make more informed decisions on the product they purchase. Hence, looking for a certain quality certifications for coffee is a good approach to a quality coffee source. To help you sourcing quality coffee in Vietnam, we’ve created a list of national and international quality certifications and standards that good-quality coffee beans in Vietnam conform to. In the first part of the guide, we’ll discuss on 4 essential certifications in Vietnam as below. Read part 2.

Don’t forget to check out on our blog series on Vietnam’s coffee market, along with tips on how to select the best beans from Vietnam for your business

1. ISO 9001:2015 for Vietnam’s Coffee

The quality management system is the exact guarantee to produce quality product consistently. One of the system that has certainty and is recognized by many countries is the ISO quality management system and the most recent version is ISO 9001:2015. International Organization for Standardization explains that to produce quality products, the supplier shall apply the quality management principle, such as focus on the customer, optimize the leadership, employee participation, process approach, commit to quality improvement, use factual data in decision making, and build up supplier relationships. 

Based on that explanation can be stated that ISO is a system that ensures the increasing quality process of production. The production process that is worked continuously is a control process so that produce quality product. ISO is a document that can be applied to all business activity including the production of coffee. Every process will be worked with a clear quality standard. Take a look at the table below for some quality standard of coffee beans under ISO system: 

Here in Vietnam, various coffee suppliers have applied ISO certification to keep the consistency for increasing the quality export product. The size of coffee seed production has high quality and ISO ensures the standard is used properly.

CHECK OUT OUR LIST OF COFFEE SUPPLIERS CONFORMING TO ISO 9001:2015 IN VIETNAM

2. VietGAP (Vietnamese Good Agricultural Practices) for Vietnam’s coffee

VietGAP (Vietnamese Good Agricultural Practices) is practicing good agricultural production in Vietnam. It was implemented in 2009 to help foster the development of a modern agri-food system in Vietnam. VietGAP consists of the rules, orders and procedures that guide agricultural producers to produce, harvest and process agricultural products to meet a number of requirements. Producers applied this standard to ensure: productive technique; food safety; product traceability; protection  of environment  and health. For coffee production in Vietnam, producers learn new effectively techniques for their farms. The major objectives of new production techniques are for; protection their workers and the environment, and for more sustainability income. 

According to Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, VietGAP provides guidelines for the application of production methods covering food safety, environmental management, worker health, safety, and product quality. There are 12 sections in the standard namely:

1. Site assessment and selection;
2. Planting material;
3. Soil and substrate management;
4. Fertilizers and soil additives;
5. Water and irrigation;
6. Crop protection and use of chemicals;
7. Harvesting and handling;
8. Waste management and treatment;
9. Worker health and welfare;
10. Record keeping, recall, and traceability;
11. Internal audit;
12. Complaints and resolve complaints.

Farmers are subject to mandatory training and guideline production practices to receive VietGAP certification which is valid for two years. Hence, coffee from Vietnam produced under VietGAP are guaranteed for quality to great extent.

CHECK OUT OUR LIST OF COFFEE SUPPLIERS CONFORMING TO VietGAP IN VIETNAM

3. HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) for Vietnam’s coffee

HACCP Certification is a system that recognizes that a food business has developed, documented and implemented systems and procedures in accordance with HACCP. HACCP is basically a tool to help identify and control food safety hazards that may occur within the food business. As coffee is produced in many countries under many different processes, different harvesting practices can lead to unreliable differences in the material. What is more, different processing methods may involve different ‘intermediate’ elements that could support the development of hazards.

According to The National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF), HACCP involves seven principles: 

1. Analyse hazards, for instance microbiological (e.g. bacteria, viruses, moulds, toxins), chemical (e.g. pesticide residues), or physical (stones, wood, glass, etc.). 
2. Identify critical control points. These are points in the food’s production (from raw to processed to consumption) at which a potential hazard can be controlled or eliminated. 
3. Establish preventative measures with critical limits (values) for each control point, such as a minimum drying time to ensure mould growth cannot progress. 
4. Establish procedures to monitor the critical control points (e.g. how to ensure that adequate drying occurs). 
5. Establish corrective actions to be taken when monitoring shows that a critical limit has not been met, such as disposing of potentially contaminated cherry. 
6. Establish procedures to verify that the system is working properly. For example, test drying facilities for leaks or contamination. 
7. Establish effective record keeping for documenting the HACCP system, such as records of hazards and control methods, the monitoring of safety requirements and actions taken to correct potential problems. 

In Vietnam’s coffee industry, many coffee suppliers have achieved HACCP certification. To gain this certification, the business is required to undergo an audit or assessment of its food safety and HACCP policies and procedures. Therefore, the quality of coffee produced under this standard in Vietnam is guaranteed for product safety.

CHECK OUT OUR LIST OF COFFEE SUPPLIERS CONFORMING TO HACCP IN VIETNAM

4. GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) for Vietnam’s coffee

Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) is a set of operational requirements to ensure production of safe and quality food. The US FDA and other regulatory bodies worldwide highly recommend using GMP to ensure that products are consistently produced and controlled to quality standards. GMP compliance covers the minimum sanitary and manufacturing practices that are a prerequisite foundation to further implement other food safety management initiatives such as HACCP, ISO 22000. 

Few basic principles include:

1. Hygiene: Pharmaceutical manufacturing facility must maintain a clean and hygienic manufacturing area.
2. Controlled environmental conditions in order to prevent cross contamination of food or drug product from adulterants that may render the product unsafe for human consumption.
3. Manufacturing processes are clearly defined and controlled. All critical processes are validated to ensure consistency and compliance with specifications.
4. Manufacturing processes are controlled, and any changes to the process are evaluated. Changes that have an impact on the quality of the drug are validated as necessary.
5. Instructions and procedures are written in clear and unambiguous
6. Operators are trained to carry out and document procedures.
7. Records are made, manually or by instruments, during manufacture that demonstrate that all the steps required by the defined procedures and instructions were in fact taken and that the quantity and quality of the food or drug was as expected. Deviations are investigated and documented.
8. Records of manufacture (including distribution) that enable the complete history of a batch to be traced are retained in a comprehensible and accessible form.
9. The distribution of the food or drugs minimizes any risk to their quality.
10. A system is available for recalling any batch from sale or supply.
11. Complaints about marketed products are examined, the causes of quality defects are investigated, and appropriate measures are taken with respect to the defective products and to prevent recurrence.

Various coffee suppliers in Vietnam also obtain this certification in order to demonstrate a commitment to food safety.

CHECK OUT OUR LIST OF COFFEE SUPPLIERS CONFORMING TO GMP IN VIETNAM

Viego Global – Your trusted sourcing partner in Vietnam

Are you sourcing coffee beans from Vietnam? Do you need a source of high quality coffee? If you want to connect with any qualified coffee producers in Vietnam that pay strict attention to their beans, please comment below so we could help you out easily. Being presence at the factory location, Viego Global has the capability to professionally source, manufacture and execute order providing maximum benefit to our clients in terms of delivering a wide range of products at the best competitive pricing. Please contact us HERE for further support!

Read part 2.

For further information about 8 QUALITY CERTIFICATIONS YOU SHOULD KEEP IN MIND WHEN BUYING COFFEE FROM VIETNAM, please refer to our other channels of Vietnam Coffee:

• Website: https://viegoglobal.com/category/vietnam-coffee-market/
• Facebook: facebook.com/vietnam.coffee.robusta.arabica.import.export
• Instagram: instagram.com/vietnam__quality__coffee
• Tiktok: tiktok.com/@vietnamcoffeeexport
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/https://www.youtube.com/@VietnamCoffeebeansViegoGlobal
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/viego-global-green-coffee-beans/
• X/Twitter: https://x.com/ViegoCoffee

Or contact us directly at:

1. Whatsapp/Wechat: +84 90 827 90 98
2. Email: coffee@viegoglobal.com

Being the world’s second-largest coffee producer, Vietnam is currently a premier hotspot for international coffee buyers who are sourcing a quality coffee beans at a cheaper rate. Besides its wide variety of coffee products and large supply ability, the favorable shipping process is also attributable to its success story. In recent years, Vietnam has seen significant improvements in the country’s infrastructure, including modernizing its ports and roads, which help effectively streamlining the shipping process for international buyers. To help you get acquainted with the international trade in Vietnam’s coffee market, we’ve created this guide on how to ship coffee from Vietnam. This essential guide will cover the following:

Don’t forget to check out on our blog series on Vietnam’s coffee market, along with tips on how to select the best beans from Vietnam for your business.

1. Options for shipping coffee from Vietnam

In coffee industry, most buyers will opt for sea freight rather than air freight. Here in Vietnam, you can choose to ship coffee from Vietnam from one of three modes: FCL sea freight, LCL sea freight, air freight. 

FCL sea freight from Vietnam

FCL, or full container load, means your coffee fill an entire container, either 20-foot or 40-foot long. If you are shipping coffee at a high volume, you’ll save time and money by shipping FCL. Pricing for FCL is done as a flat rate, regardless of whether or not your container is completely full.  Indeed in Vietnam, many importers will not consider anything less than a container load: 19 to about 21 tons in a 20-foot container depending on the type of coffee.

LCL sea freight from Vietnam

LCL, or less than a container load, means your coffee do not fill an entire container, and will share space with other shipping consignments headed for the same destination. Exporters and buyers of small lots that are less than a container load face both logistical and cost constraints. Note that with organic coffee, it may not be shipped in the same container with other coffee because of the risk of contamination.

Air freight from Vietnam

Shipping by air is generally faster but much more expensive than shipping by sea. If a small lot of expensive coffee can bear the cost of paying freight for a full container then it may sometimes be just as cost effective to use airfreight instead.

Shipping is the final step when you have gone through the processing of researching, contacting coffee suppliers and signing a contract with them in Vietnam. Most international coffee buyers would outsource to Vietnam Freight forwarder, who provide you with a full set of services and shipping options to get your coffee from the factory in Vietnam to its desired destination.

2. Most popular terms to ship coffee from Vietnam

The shipping trade terms or “Incoterms” for shipping coffee from Vietnam vary based on the forwarder and their service. There are a lot of Incoterms but here in Vietnam, the coffee trade mostly uses three basic contract conditions: FOB, CIF, and EXW. And especially, among these three shipping terms, most coffee contracts are effectively FOB – in that the the buyers pay the freight. Buyer prefer this because they can negotiate rates of freight that individual exporters or producing countries may be unable to obtain. The following is a list of the most used terms for shipping coffee from Vietnam:

EXW (Ex Works) from Vietnam 

EXW is less ideal than FOB or CIF for international shipments. For EXW shipping, as a buyer, you shall arrange the full shipment, from the supplier’s warehouse to the cargo’s ultimate destination. The buyer is liable and responsible for almost every step. The seller is only responsible for the Bill of Lading or Air Waybill, and ensuring that the goods are available for pickup at the named place, usually their factory, at a time agreed with the forwarder.

FOB (Free On Board) from Vietnam

Free On Board shipping simply means that Vietnamese supplier is in charge of the shipment until the shipment is loaded on the international port of departure. The responsibility falls on you, and/or your freight forwarder to arrange the rest of the shipment.

CIF (Cost, Insurance, And Freight) from Vietnam 

Under the CIF Intercom, the seller is responsible for your coffee until they are exported to a port named in the sales contract and are fully loaded onto a transport ship. CIF shipping tends to include insurance as well.

CFR (Cost And Freight) from Vietnam

CFR shipping is an international shipping intercom that features the benefits of CIF shipping, without the required insurance.

DAT (Delivery At Terminal) from Vietnam

DAT shipping means the supplier is responsible for your coffee until they’re delivered at the international terminal of arrival.

DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) from Vietnam 

DDP is also known as “Door To Door” shipping. The seller arranges the entire shipment from Vietnam factory until the goods arrive at your location, as well as all fees, taxes, duties, customs.

3. Shipping Documents Required for Coffee trading in Vietnam

Coffee transactions are carried out by transfer of title rather than by the physical handing over of coffee not only in Vietnam but also all over the world. Title to goods is represented by the bill of lading, accompanied by a set of additional documents, together known as the shipping documents. Following the relevant customs procedures when importing coffee from Vietnam is one of the most crucial aspects of doing business. In Vietnam, coffee is not an export prohibited item or an export restriction. Therefore the company can carry out normal commercial export procedures, without having to apply for an export license. The following are additional documents to ship coffee from Vietnam that shall be requested by authorities in Vietnam: 

Bill of Lading

BOL (Bill of Lading) is an essential document for all international cargo shipments. The BOL is used for sea shipping, while for airfreight an airway bill is applied. The document will be used as proof that you’ve legalized the transfer and allow you to unload your shipment on the destination port. 

Business Invoice

The business/commercial invoice you use is going to be used as proof of value for the goods when you have to make a customs declaration in your country. 

C/O form B

The ‘Certificate Of Origin’ document is an essential document that certifies the origin country of the goods. If you manufacture in Vietnam, you need this document as proof that the products were manufactured in the country. Vietnamese government agencies can issue this document, and if you’re using a supplier, they can sign this document for you. Some shipping companies also offer CO services. All countries that signed a Free Trade Agreement with Vietnam can benefit from a CO because it qualifies them for tax exemptions upon import.

C/O form ICO 

ICO certificates of origin are issued for every international shipment of coffee from producers to consumers (whether the importing country is an ICO member or not), and are used to monitor the movement of coffee worldwide. The forms contain details of identity, size, origin, destination and time of shipment of the parcels in question.

Insurance certificates ( If any)

The vast majority of the trade in coffee today is on FOB terms. In the case of CFR and FOB contracts, you as a buyer have to cover the insurance ahead of the contractual shipment period. Without this stipulation the coffee might be loaded without any insurance cover in place, leaving the exporter at risk.

Certificate of Quality, Quantity, Weight Packing List

Sales contract 

Phytosanitary of Certificate

Fumigation

4. Coffee Export tax and HS CODE in Vietnam

According to Chapter 09 of Vietnam’s import and export tariff in 2020, Robusta coffee beans or Arabica coffee beans, whether roasted or not roasted, with decaffeinated active ingredients are applied the following: 

HS CODE: 0901

Export tax: 0%

5. Shipping port in Vietnam

Vietnamese ports are located throughout the nation, in the North, Central, and Southern, giving Vietnamese factories an advantage in fast shipping their merchandise internationally. Along its 3,200km-long coastline, the country has a total of 114 seaports serving an important role in global trade. Let’s take a look at these the largest ports of Vietnam – Saigon port (south), Hai Phong port (north), and Da Nang port (central): 

Saigon Port – Ho Chi Minh City

Port code: VNSGN

Saigon Port, the oldest ports in the country with more than 130 years old, has had the highest throughput and productivity per annum of the country for years. Located in the southern region, the port covers the entire South-East and the Mekong Delta. The container traffic through the Port of Ho Chi Minh City accounts for over 65% of Ho Chi Minh City’s market share and more than 40% of that for the country. The port has an enormous 280,000 m2 warehouse and a 3km pier.

Hai Phong Port – Hai Phong City

Port code: VNHPH

Hai Phong Port is currently the shipping hub of northern Vietnam. Well connected with southern China, along the Vietnamese northern economic corridor, and close to Hanoi, the port lies in a convenient location for international transport. Hai Phong Port has an advanced network system with the newest technology. Its container yard area includes over 700,000 m2, and the port capacity is 10 million tons of cargo per year.

Da Nang Port – Da Nang City

Port code: VNDAD

Lying at one end of the East–West Economic Corridor, an economic corridor connecting Vietnam with Laos, Thailand, and Burma, Da Nang Port is the third largest port system in Vietnam. With the total area of nearly 300,000 m2, the port is currently serving an increasing number of large cruise ships docking. The port is undergoing a huge upgrading, including expanding Tien Sa Port in to boost the capacity of receiving ships and increase the warehouse area up to 50ha. The expansion of Tien Sa port will contribute to making Da Nang port a modern facility able to accommodate container and tourist ships with high loading capacities.

Here is the list of other big international seaports in Vietnam:

• Vung Tau Port – Vung Tau city
  Port code: VNVUT
• Quy Nhon Port – Quy Nhon city
  Port code: VNUIH
• Quang Ninh Port – Ha Long city
  Port code: VNQNH
• Cua Lo Port – Vinh city
  Port code: VNNGT
• Dung Quat Port – Quang Ngai province
  Port code: VNDQT
• Chan May Port – Thua Thien Hue Province
  Port code: VNCMY 

Optimizing your global business in Vietnam with Viego Global

Being presence at the factory location, Viego Global has the capability to professionally source, manufacture and execute order providing maximum benefit to our clients in terms of delivering a wide range of products at the best competitive pricing. Our services are designed to to handle every single step of your business in Vietnam for you, from coffee R&D and coffee sourcing, coffee quality assurance, production support to coffee logistics. Please contact us HERE for further support! 

For further information about HOW TO SHIP COFFEE FROM VIETNAM?, please refer to our other channels of Vietnam Coffee:

• Website: https://viegoglobal.com/category/vietnam-coffee-market/
• Facebook: facebook.com/vietnam.coffee.robusta.arabica.import.export
• Instagram: instagram.com/vietnam__quality__coffee
• Tiktok: tiktok.com/@vietnamcoffeeexport
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/https://www.youtube.com/@VietnamCoffeebeansViegoGlobal
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/viego-global-green-coffee-beans/
• X/Twitter: https://x.com/ViegoCoffee

Or contact us directly at:

1. Whatsapp/Wechat: +84 90 827 90 98
2. Email: coffee@viegoglobal.com

With nearly 20,000 ha yielding 60,000 tonnes each year, Son La is currently one of the major Arabica coffee producing provinces in Vietnam. If you have been seeking for high-grade Arabica from Vietnam, then Son La Arabica coffee is definitely the “diamond” you should not miss out. Read on to find out more about specialty coffee of Son La, Vietnam. 

In order to provide a deeper insight on Vietnam’s Coffee Market, we’ve created this series along with tips on how to select the best beans from Vietnam for your business. Jump to: 

• A start-to-finish guide to coffee beans market in Vietnam
• Best types of coffee beans to source in Vietnam
• How to find wholesale coffee suppliers in Vietnam
• Essential guide to checking the quality of Vietnam’s green coffee beans
• 4 Most common mistakes when sourcing green coffee beans from Vietnam
• Everything you need to know about Vietnam’s specialty coffee

A long-established history of Arabica cafe plant in Son La, Vietnam

Sơn La province is the second-largest producer of Arabica coffee in Vietnam. Its coffee dates back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when French colonialists began cultivating coffee in Son La and other northern provinces, turning this region into a significant producer of raw Arabica coffee for the French coffee industry of the time. Since then, coffee has been gradually developed, contributing to the incomes of the local minor ethnics, and helping them eradicate hunger and reduce poverty. Coffee production has become part of the locals’ lives and everyday practices. After more than 70 years of development, Son La coffee has become a specialty of Sơn La province and has been firmly positioned in both domestic and global markets.

The quality of Son La’s Arabica coffee is not inferior to Brazilian Arabica coffee

Son La’s ideal geography for high-quality Arabica

In Son La, coffee plantations are concentrated in Son La city, Mai Son district and Thuan Chau district, which are all high mountainous regions. The extraordinary aroma and taste of Son La’s Arabica coffee are attributable to the terrain, soil and climate of the geographical area there. Son La’s specialty coffee is grown on steep slopes at the foot of low mountains with an altitude of 900m to 1200m. This growing area in Son La has a similar location to Minas Gerais region of Brazil. The soil here is soft and nutritious, with good water absorption and retention. Moreover, Son La’s climate is rainy and cold, with high rainfall in the summer. Therefore, Arabica coffee trees here grow well for high quality beans.

Local’s experience in picking and processing Arabica coffee 

In addition to the terrain, soil and climate of Son La province, the producing experience over the time of the locals here is also an essential factor contributing to the coffee quality. During the cultivating process, the farmers will dig around the foot of the coffee plant in order to increase the soil’s softness. And then, they will use leaves and grass to cover the root, cut and shape the coffee plants’ foliage in order to maximize the amount of sunlight received. When there is hoarfrost, the farmers will frequently water the coffee plants’ foliage to help them develop well. Regarding harvesting process, they will hand pick the ripe coffee cherries instead of plucking the off both unripe and ripe ones. This is the technique that differentiates Son La’s Arabica coffee to the others. Most common processing method applied in Son La is natural process. Although Son La’s farmers use the same processing method as other coffee-producing areas, the coffee here is dried naturally by sunlight, and therefore does not suffered from any mechanical impact of machines used for drying coffee beans.

Wide range of coffee products with large capacity of high-quality Arabica from Son La, Vietnam

Mr. Hoang Van Chat, Secretary of the Son La Provincial Party Committee, stated that Son La had over 18,000 hectares of agricultural land growing Arabica coffee, with an annual output of about 60,000 tonnes of coffee beans. In the past, Son La Province produced and offered mostly green coffee beans.

In addition to green coffee beans, in the past 5 years, many domestic coffee businesses have been conducted to provide the market with various kinds of products, such as roasted coffee beans, traditional-style coffee filters, instant coffee powder, coffee grounds or even coffee husk tea.

Protected geographical indication for Son La coffee

On September 28, 2017, Son La Province received a certificate of protected geographical indication for its coffee products. This indication lays the firm foundation for Son La’s Arabica coffee to enter the global market and helps promote sustainable development of the domestic coffee sector.

Aware of the economic value of coffee, local authorities have decided to list it among key types of industrial crops to promote economic restructuring. The provincial agricultural sector has provided technical guidance for coffee farmers, while encouraging businesses to join linkages in planting and selling coffee products. Son La Province has created various mechanisms and policies to support and develop coffee planting in a sustainable manner.

Since 2014, the province has provided support for seven households in Chieng Ban Commune of Mai Son District, 35 households in Chieng Co Commune of the city of Son La, and two households in Phong Lai Commune of Thuan Chau District to pilot drip irrigation using Israeli technology. The results show that coffee plantations using drip irrigation systems with Israeli technology provide higher yields compared with those not using this irrigation technology. The province has paid special attention to registering protected coffee products and managing the use of the “Son La” geographic indicator for coffee products.

Source: Thanh Tam, Vietnam Economic News

Viego Global – Your trusted sourcing partner in Vietnam

Are you sourcing coffee beans from Vietnam? Do you need a source of high quality coffee? If you want to connect with any qualified coffee producers in Vietnam that pay strict attention to their beans, please comment below so we could help you out easily. Being presence at the factory location, Viego Global has the capability to professionally source, manufacture and execute order providing maximum benefit to our clients in terms of delivering a wide range of products at the best competitive pricing. Please contact us HERE for further support!

For further information about WHY SPECIALTY SEEKERS SHOULD NOT MISS OUT ON HIGH QUALITY ARABICA FROM SON LA – VIETNAM, please refer to our other channels of Vietnam Coffee:

• Website: https://viegoglobal.com/category/vietnam-coffee-market/
• Facebook: facebook.com/vietnam.coffee.robusta.arabica.import.export
• Instagram: instagram.com/vietnam__quality__coffee
• Tiktok: tiktok.com/@vietnamcoffeeexport
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/https://www.youtube.com/@VietnamCoffeebeansViegoGlobal
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/viego-global-green-coffee-beans/
• X/Twitter: https://x.com/ViegoCoffee

Or contact us directly at:

1. Whatsapp/Wechat: +84 90 827 90 98
2. Email: coffee@viegoglobal.com

When buying coffee in Vietnam, you may sometimes find yourself surrounded by complicated coffee terms that are hard to fully grasp. As with any field of industry, there is a technical vocabulary of terminology or jargon associated specifically with it, and the coffee industry is obviously no different. To help you along, we have compiled a list of key coffee terminology as a “coffee dictionary”. Here are some of the most common coffee terms and definitions you might come across when researching and sourcing coffee from Vietnam. This coffee glossary will help you to feel like someone who’s “in the know.” We will continue to update the list periodically, so if you have any suggestions or questions, your help is welcomed and necessary.

In order to provide a deeper insight on Vietnam’s Coffee Market, we’ve created this series along with tips on how to select the best beans from Vietnam for your business. Jump to: 

• A start-to-finish guide to coffee beans market in Vietnam
• Best types of coffee beans to source in Vietnam
• How to find wholesale coffee suppliers in Vietnam
• Essential guide to checking the quality of Vietnam’s green coffee beans
• 4 Most common mistakes when sourcing green coffee beans from Vietnam

A

• Acidy (Acid): Vị chua

A desirable flavour that is sharp and pleasing, but not biting. The term ‘acid’ as used by the coffee trade refers to coffee that is smooth and rich, and has verve, snap and life as against heavy, old and mellow taste notes. 

• Acrid: Vị chát

A burnt flavour that is sharp, bitter and perhaps irritating. 

• Ambers: Hạt màu vàng 

Smooth yellowish beans caused by soil conditions.

• Astringent: Vị hơi đắng 

A taste that causes puckering and a bitter impression. 

• Aftertaste: Hậu vị

A taste that remains in the mouth longer than usual after eating or drinking. 

• Aroma: Mùi thơm

Usually, pleasant-smelling substances with the characteristic odour of coffee. Chemically, they are aldehydes, ketones, esters, volatile acids, phenols, etc. 

• Aged Coffee: Hạt cà phê lâu năm 

Coffee beans that have remained in the warehouses for several years, which, at best, have reduced the acidity and increased the body.

B 

• Baggy

An undesirable taint, resembling the smell of a bag made from jute. Often observed in coffees that have been stored for long periods under unsuitable conditions. 

• Baked

Generally unpleasant characteristic. Sign of coffee having been over-roasted or roasted too slowly. 

• Balanced or round

Acidity and body are both present to the right extent. 

• Bitter: Đắng

When strong, an unpleasant, sharp taste; biting like quinine. Similar to acidity, but lacking smoothness. 

• Body: Thể trạng

Body is the perceived thickness of brewed coffee on the tongue. Descriptions can range from “watery”, “thin”, or “light”; to “medium”; to “full”, “heavy”, “thick”, or “syrupy

• Black beans: Hạt đen

Caused by harvesting immature beans or gathering them after they have dropped to the ground. Blacks are often taken as the yardstick for rating a defect count. 

• Bland or neutral: nhạt 

Tasting smooth and flavourless, lacking coffee flavour and characteristics. However, this is not necessarily always a negative comment.

• Bleached beans: Hạt mất màu

Colorless beans, often caused by drying too rapidly or over-drying. Also known as soapy and faded beans, usually associated with mechanical drying. 

• Blotchy beans

The result of uneven drying. 

• Brown beans: Hạt nâu

Brown in colour. May be caused by faulty fermentation, improper washing or over drying – see also ‘foxy’. 

C 

• Coated beans

Beans to which the silverskin adheres. Caused by drought, over-bearing or harvesting of unripe cherries.

• Crushed beans: Hạt nát, dập

Pulper-damaged beans, which often split and fade. Also caused by manual pounding of dry cherry to separate beans from husk.

• Carbolic, chemical

Self-explanatory. Workers who have had wounds on legs treated with disinfectant and have then worked in tanks can cause this type of flavour. Certain emulsions in the manufacture of sacks are also a problem. 

• Carmelized

Burnt-like flavour; carmelized sugar flavour. Usually associated with spray-dried instant coffee, but sometimes found in roasted coffee. 

• Common, commonish

Poor liquor, lacking acidity but with full body. Usually associated with coated raw beans and softs and pales in roast. 

D 

• Decaffeinated: Khử caffeine

Coffee with more than 97% of its caffeine removed in order to avoid as much as possible the damages that caffeine could produce to the people who did not tolerate it. Decaffeinated beans have a much darker appearance and give off little chaff when roasting. Decafs will roast differently than regular coffees because of their altered state; in most roasting methods, they will roast faster than regular beans.

• Defect: Lỗi

A defect refers to specific preparation problems with the green coffee, or a flavor problem found in the cupping process. Bad seeds in the green coffee sample are termed defects, and scored against the coffee to determine it’s grade. Also, defect flavors are those found in cupping the coffee, and described by a host of unfavorable terms, such as Skunky, Dirty, Cappy, Soapy, Animal-like, Sour, etc. Roast problems can produce defect flavors, as well as poor sorting or preparation of the coffee, mistakes in transportation and storage, problems at the wet mill, bad picking of the fruit or problems going back to the tree itself.

• Discoloured beans: Hạt mất màu

Often pulper-damaged. Other causes are contact with earth, metal and foul water as well as damage after drying and beans left over in fermenting tanks (see also ‘stinkers’). 

• Drought-affected beans

Either coated or misshapen, pale and light in weight. 

• Dull, unnatural coloured beans

Due to faulty drying, often associated with metal contamination. 

E 

• Ears

Part of a broken elephant bean.

• Earthy beans: Hạt có mùi đất, đá

Smell of earth, caused by collecting beans fallen on bare ground. 

• Elephant beans 

A generic aberration resulting in two beans being joined together – usually deformed and likely to break up during processing/roasting (see also ‘ears’, above). 

• Extraction: chiết tách

It is the time of coffee drop to the cup. The time of extraction of an espresso must be between 25 and 30 seconds.

F 

• Faded beans

Beans from old crop or dried too rapidly.

• Fermented: Lên men

Chemical flavour caused by enzymes on the green coffee sugars. Very unpleasant odour and taste. In its strongest form sometimes referred to as ‘hidey’ referring to smell of untreated animal hides.

• Flaky beans: hạt nhỏ

Usually very thin, light and ragged (see also ‘drought-affected’, ‘lights’ and ‘ragged’). 

• Floats or floaters/lights

Under-developed, hollow beans – the fruit will float in water and is ‘floated off’ during wet processing. In washed coffee a sign of inadequate grading during wet processing. 

• Foul

Objectionable liquor often similar to rotten coffee pulp. Sometimes the most advanced stage of fruity and sour coffees. Causes are mostly bad factory preparation or the use of polluted water. It must be noted that one badly discoloured bean is sufficient to give a foul cup to an otherwise good liquor. 

• Foxy beans

Rust or reddish coloured, a result either of harvesting overripe, sometimes yellow, cherries, delays in pulping, improper fermentation or faulty washing.

• Freeze-dried coffee

Soluble coffee, product of freeze drying, which is the ideal process to preserve the attributes of flavor, aroma and perfect balance of coffee, and which consists in freezing the liquid extract of coffee. Once frozen, it is introduced into a vacuum chamber to separate the water by sublimation. In this way the water is removed from the solid state to the ambient gas without passing through the liquid state.

• Fruity

First stage of sourness. Caused by overripe and yellow cherry or by fermentation with too many skins.

G 

• Grading

Classification of beans according to size and shape. The beans are sorted using sieves (screens) into the following categories: AA, plantation A, Screen 18/20, AB, screen 16, C, Brokens, E, Elephants, Peaberry. Check out the grading size chart we use in Vietnam

• Green, water-damaged

Self-explanatory – usually brought about by dry parchment or hulled coffee becoming wet. 

• Green, greenish

Flavour suggestive of hay. More common in early pickings. In some coffees this flavour is lost a few weeks after curing. Seldom found in coffees which have been thoroughly dried.

• Grassy

A very pronounced green flavour can be most unpleasant.

• Grounds: xay

The remains of the coffee after the extraction process.

H 

• Hail-damaged beans

Show blackish circular marks on the oval side of the bean.

• Harsh

A harshness of body. Coffee of immature raw appearance (but not necessarily from green cherry) frequently has a harsh taste. Drought-stricken or over-bearing trees producing mottled cherry frequently give this flavour. 

L 

• Light bean

Bean the specific weight of which is below normal – caused by drought or die-back. 

M 

• Mottled beans

Are blotched, spotty or stained. Usually due to uneven drying. 

• Musty (mouldy) beans

Partial or wholly discoloured, whitish fur-like colour and texture. Show mould growth visible by the naked eye or evidence of mould attack. 

• Musty or mouldy

Self-explanatory. Caused by piling or bagging very wet parchment or by dry parchment getting wet. (See ‘musty’, under Green or raw coffee, above.) 

N 

• Natural

Natural characteristic is the full body, slight bitterness indicative of natural processed coffee. It is a negative characteristic of a fully washed coffee. 

• Neutral: trung hoà

No predominant characteristics – can make a good base for blending.

O 

• Onion flavour

Often bordering on foul. Associated with the use of badly polluted and stagnant water.

• Origin: nguồn gốc

The name with which it is denominated to the place from where a coffee comes. One speaks of Origins when it is meant that it is a coffee of a single origin, that is not the fruit of a mixture with others.

• Overripe: chín quá

Brownish-yellow appearance; also known as foxy. 

P 

• Peaberry

A single oblong or ovaloid roundish bean – a result of only one bean developing in a cherry instead of the usual two. 

• Processing: sơ chế

Wet/washed/fully washed process: sơ chế ướt

Coffee beans are removed from their cherries by mechanical pulping, leaving intact just the muselage (a thin layer of sugars) and a small amount of fruit. They are then soaked in water (fermented) to break down the muselage before being flushed with clean water. The result is a clean, fresh taste (for example, mandarin rather than plum) that’s more acidic and more complex. Think fresh fruit, not stewed fruit flavours. Adam Marley, of Adelaide coffee roaster Monastery, sometimes describes processed coffees in terms of colours. In this case, green and yellow.

Dry/natural process: sơ chế khô 

Whole cherries are laid out in the sun and regularly turned, allowing the fruit to wither and dry naturally. Natural process coffees have a bigger body, lower acidity, more chocolate-y, less clean and a much fruitier profile. But more stewed or ripe fruit than fresh fruit flavours. They can be funky, potentially. Imagine colours such as blue and purple.

Semi washed/honey/pulped natural process: sơ chế mật ong 

This balance between wet and dry process sees the outer skin of the cherry removed by pulping, leaving some of the muselage intact. Fruit is then dried in the sun before milling. This produces chocolate-y, nutty, honey-like flavours, sometimes a little funky. In terms of colours: orange and red.

• Pulper-nipped

Bean damaged by incorrect setting of the pulping knives – can become discoloured through oxidation during fermentation and may produce off-flavours. 

• Pungent: hăng, cay 

A taste sensation of overall bitterness of brew. A prickly, stinging, or piercing sensation not necessarily unpleasant.

Q 

• Quakers: hạt lỗi

Blighted and undeveloped beans – show up as roast defects. 

R 

• Ragged: rời rạc, không đều 

This description often refers to drought-affected beans – harvesting a mixture of mature and immature cherries results in beans having a ragged appearance. 

• Rioy or Phenolic

A taste with medicinal odour and off notes, slightly iodized phenolic or carbolic. Cannot be hidden by blending – always returns. 

• Rubbery

Odour and taste of rubber. Usually present in fresh robustas.

S 

• Stinkers

Beans which are over-fermented owing to improper cleaning of pulpers, fermenting tanks and washing channels. 

• Sour, sourish: chua

Unpleasant flavour, suggestive of rotting coffee pulp. Caused by faulty factory work, improper fermentation resulting in a continuation of the fermentation process during early stages of drying, overripe and yellow cherry, or delayed drying causing a heating of the coffee, excess fermentation with many skins. Discoloured pulper- nipped beans are a frequent cause.

• Strong

Unbalanced liquor where body predominates to the point of being tainted.

T 

• Taint

A term used to denote the presence of flavours that are foreign to good clean liquor, but which cannot be clearly defined or placed in any category. It is often described as an offtaste or peculiar flavour for lack of a clear definition. Where the foreign flavour can be defined it is, of course, named accordingly. 

• Thin

Lacking body.

• Twisty

A liquor which, although not directly unclean, is suspect and may become unclean. 

• Three-cornered beans

Semi-peaberry in character. (see also ‘peaberry’)

U 

• Unclean 

Self-explanatory. A coffee which has an undefined unclean taste.

W 

• Withered

Light and shrivelled beans caused by drought or poor husbandry. 

• Winey

A fruity taste similar to fresh wine. Not necessarily unpleasant when the taste is in the background. 

• Woody

A coarse common flavour peculiar to old crop coffee. Coffee stored at low altitudes with high temperatures and humidity (as in many ports of shipment) tends to become woody rather quickly. Storage at higher altitudes where feasible or in temperate climates is therefore recommended for long-term warehousing. All coffees, however, become woody if stored for too long. 

In order to provide a deeper insight on Vietnam’s Coffee Market, we’ve created this series along with tips on how to select the best beans from Vietnam for your business. Jump to: 

• A start-to-finish guide to coffee beans market in Vietnam
• Best types of coffee beans to source in Vietnam
• How to find wholesale coffee suppliers in Vietnam
• Essential guide to checking the quality of Vietnam’s green coffee beans
• 4 Most common mistakes when sourcing green coffee beans from Vietnam
• Everything you need to know about Vietnam’s specialty coffee

Viego Global – Your trusted sourcing partner in Vietnam

Are you sourcing coffee beans from Vietnam? Do you need a source of high quality coffee? If you want to connect with any qualified coffee producers in Vietnam that pay strict attention to their beans, please comment below so we could help you out easily. Being presence at the factory location, Viego Global has the capability to professionally source, manufacture and execute order providing maximum benefit to our clients in terms of delivering a wide range of products at the best competitive pricing. Please contact us HERE for further support!

For further information about MUST-KNOW COFFEE GLOSSARY WHEN BUYING COFFEE IN VIETNAM, please refer to our other channels of Vietnam Coffee:

• Website: https://viegoglobal.com/category/vietnam-coffee-market/
• Facebook: facebook.com/vietnam.coffee.robusta.arabica.import.export
• Instagram: instagram.com/vietnam__quality__coffee
• Tiktok: tiktok.com/@vietnamcoffeeexport
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/https://www.youtube.com/@VietnamCoffeebeansViegoGlobal
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/viego-global-green-coffee-beans/
• X/Twitter: https://x.com/ViegoCoffee

Or contact us directly at:

1. Whatsapp/Wechat: +84 90 827 90 98
2. Email: coffee@viegoglobal.com

Being the world’s second-largest coffee producer, Vietnam is full of incredible business opportunities for entrepreneurs and business owners all over the world to source coffee. And of course with in this global playground, you may probably find it a bit risky while embracing the opportunities that come with it.  Whatever the root cause for sourcing mistakes, leaving them unchecked can end up being very costly for your company. Here are 4 of the most common – and costly –  sourcing mistakes you’re likely to encounter when sourcing Vietnam coffee beans, along with steps you can take to avoid and correct them. Grind this guide before jumping into the this “golden” market.

1. Don’t know where your coffee beans come from in Vietnam

The most important thing you should bear in mind is the location of the coffee factories. In most case, the factories are located in provinces that cultivate coffee plants because right after picking up ripe cherries, producers need to process their coffee cherries promptly for the best quality. Therefore, knowing where Arabica, Robusta and Liberica are grown in Vietnam is the key to get the best Vietnam coffee beans. Check out this map of coffee-production area in Vietnam:

 

Click to enlarge map (.jpeg 1.4 MB, opens resizable window) >>

Furthermore, coffee beans from each region in Vietnam have their own personalities and taste profiles due to different soil, altitude and climate conditions. In general, coffee from Dalat is known for their flavor from ripe fruits with sour taste and sweet aftertaste; Khe Sanh coffee has sour flavor with light body and honeyed aftertaste; coffee from Son La has slightly sour and pure taste, wild orange aroma and honeyed aftertaste. For that reason, choosing types of coffee from Vietnam that meet your customer needs require considerable market research. Getting through all of our guide on the series “Vietnam’s Coffee Market” to strike the right chord before making a decision.

2. Fail to inspect your coffee sample when buying Vietnam coffee beans

In coffee farming, it is vital that each and every step, from seed to cup be strictly controlled in order to ensure quality. There are dozens of variables that can affect the quality of coffee from the altitude, the soil quality, to the type of bean, processing techniques and much more. Therefore, to control the quality of your purchases from Vietnam, you must always get a representative green coffee bean sample for your first-hand evaluation. The cost of samples will always be a more worthwhile investment over taking the chance on a full order you have not had the opportunity to inspect. If you do the latter, you may be stuck with a large number of products that lack the right level of quality. This might be called “probation period.” Once you are satisfied with the samples, you can then place a series of increasingly larger orders from the same supplier. 

When ordering coffee samples from Vietnam, one thing worth bearing in mind is that you should always purchase a coffee sample from more than one supplier. When you start your search for the perfect Vietnam coffee suppliers, make a list of the top five that meet your needs and order samples from each of them. Once you’ve received your samples, you’ll then be able to make a make a well-calculated decision for which supplier you should use for that types of coffee.

Following these steps to evaluate the quality of your green coffee beans sample from Vietnam and make sure you are getting the best green coffee beans from Vietnam.

3. Lack of well-defined criteria for Vietnamese coffee suppliers

When it comes to wholesale coffee suppliers, there is a huge number of them in Vietnamese marketplaces. However, finding quality suppliers is a big deal. You may need to vet them as much as possible before you decide to work with them. Therefore, before searching for suppliers, setting up a list of must-have criteria for choosing suppliers is of great importance. A great way to begin this research is by asking them about their standards pertaining to product quality, logistics, certification, and client satisfaction. They all go around these invaluable questions:

        Are you dealing with manufacturing or a trading company?

This can help you negotiate the best deal. Consider asking them directly about their credentials or take a look at their catalog.

       How long have they been in business and which countries have they exported their coffee to?

The longer they’ve been around, the higher the chance they’re running a reputable operation.

       What is the minimum grade of coffee beans and the minimum order quantity they accept?

Figuring out whether they can afford large quantities supply. The wider choice of different coffee materials they offer, the higher likelihood of that supplier securing their supply ability.

       Do they obtain any quality certifications for coffee beans? 

In Vietnam, coffee suppliers providing good-quality coffee beans should conform to the following quality standards: ISO 9001: 2015, HACCP, GMP certification. Besides, in terms of coffee cultivation technology for sustainable development, the best quality coffee beans should obtain national and international certifications, such as 4C; VietGAP; UTZ; RFA.

        All about the logistics process

The logistics process shows if the supplier is a well-run business and can ship their product to you consistently. Following up with questions about shipping times, guarantees, or what happens if there are delays in shipping, lead time, payment method and deliver terms accepted.

Read the full detailed guide for the above questions on how to find wholesale coffee suppliers in Vietnam.

4. No Vietnamese speakers on the team

Sourcing coffee beans from Vietnam can improve your productivity, efficiency and bottom line, but sometimes language barriers can get in the way. From simple miscommunications to cultural gap, language barriers can cause international business relationships to grind to a halt. In cross-border transactions, you cannot afford to settle for “maybe” or “probably” by saying that you and your supplier kind of understand each other’s expectations, which can lead to failure, to say the least. Especially in coffee sourcing industry in Vietnam, you will need to communicate and negotiate a lot with the farmers, suppliers or factories to get the best deal. If they speak fluent English and can understand your English well, you may get away without a Vietnamese speaker’s help. Otherwise, you should consider engaging a Vietnamese speaker, preferably a native speaker who also knows the business culture to help make sure your suppliers understand your expectations clearly and completely.

One of the most effective strategies for overcoming language barriers is to partner with local sourcing agents that have language capabilities. When you’re selecting your global sourcing partner, choose a firm that has language and translation capabilities. The right partner will be able to navigate your sourcing market with conversational fluency, but also be able to translate written documents as part of the process. At Viego Vietnam, we have a sourcing team with high level of competence in English and intimate knowledge of Vietnam’s coffee market. If you’re contemplating launching a coffee sourcing initiative in Vietnam, Viego Global can help.

Viego Global – Your Trusted Sourcing Partner in Vietnam

At Viego Global, we know it’s more than just finding the right coffee supplier since every step of the supply chain requires proper implementation in order to ensure Vietnam quality coffee beans are well delivered to clients. We always try our best to determine the best suppliers, including coffee farms and coffee collectors based on customers’ needs. During research on potential suppliers, discussion and factory visits, we inspect every single thing from business license, capacity, to past orders as well as the equipment and the workers’ competence. This is why Viego Global makes sure that you can reach the best coffee suppliers at the most competitive price from Vietnam.

Are you sourcing coffee beans from Vietnam? Do you need a source of high quality coffee? If you want to connect with any qualified coffee producers in Vietnam that pay strict attention to their beans, please leave your contact HERE so we could help you out easily. 

For further information about 4 MOST COMMON MISTAKES WHEN SOURCING VIETNAM COFFEE BEANS, please refer to our other channels of Vietnam Coffee:

• Website: https://viegoglobal.com/category/vietnam-coffee-market/
• Facebook: facebook.com/vietnam.coffee.robusta.arabica.import.export
• Instagram: instagram.com/vietnam__quality__coffee
• Tiktok: tiktok.com/@vietnamcoffeeexport
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/https://www.youtube.com/@VietnamCoffeebeansViegoGlobal
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/viego-global-green-coffee-beans/
• X/Twitter: https://x.com/ViegoCoffee

Or contact us directly at:

1. Whatsapp/Wechat: +84 90 827 90 98
2. Email: coffee@viegoglobal.com

The COVID-19 epidemic is causing unprecedented turmoil in coffee farms, coffee processing plants and also fundamentally changing coffee-consumption needs. Watch the video below to learn more about how this pandemic has affected the global coffee market and Vietnam coffee market in particular. 

Note: Turning on the CC for English subtitle.

Source: VTV.vn; Translated by Viego Research Team

In the global raw material market, coffee bean prices have risen sharply over the past several weeks. The average price of coffee in March traded on the London market increased by 6.9% compared to the previous month. Merchants are increasing their stockpiling of coffee beans.

Die Presse newspaper in Austria is concerned about the worrying situation in the second-largest coffee exporting country in the world, Vietnam. This newspaper wrote: “Robusta coffee traders are investigating how social distancing restrictions affect coffee production in Vietnam. According to the official announcement, the preventive measures only last for 2 weeks, but the market is afraid that exports of Robusta coffee beans from Vietnam will be disturbed for many months.

In the New York futures market, Arabica coffee prices also increased by 13%, as the situation in countries exporting Arabica coffee is no different. The newspaper El Colombiano wrote: “The coffee harvest season lasts from March to June in Colombia, with an output of about 6.5 million bags of coffee requiring 135,000 workers”. Due to the travel restriction, this amount of workers might not be sufficient. Furthermore, if there are enough workers, then arranging accommodation for them is a matter when everyone has to be 2 meter away according to the social distancing restriction. The Lapatria newspaper wrote that some farm owners were trying to have neighbors and friends pick coffee cherries. Obviously, this is just a temporary solution.

The coffee market is also changing strongly and is not necessarily unfavorable. The French Newspaper L’Echo wrote: “The COVID-19 epidemic leads to the closure of all restaurants and cafes. A decline in out-of-store coffee consumption and increasing unemployment will reduce coffee demand in 2020”. However, as many people have to stay at home, their consumption of home-brewed coffee increases. “If the uptrend in home consumption is maintained, the demand for Robusta coffee will increase. This type of coffee is sour and cheaper than Arabica, which usually accounts for a greater proportion in powdered coffee sold  in supermarket. When at home, people also drink more instant coffee. And Robusta is used in instant coffee more than coffee made by coffeemakers in the coffee shops”, the paper analyzed. Robusta is a type of coffee grown in Vietnam.

In order to provide a deeper insight on Vietnam’s Coffee Market, we’ve created this series along with tips on how to select the best beans from Vietnam for your business. Jump to: 

• A start-to-finish guide to coffee beans market in Vietnam
• Best types of coffee beans to source in Vietnam
• How to find wholesale coffee suppliers in Vietnam
• Essential guide to checking the quality of Vietnam’s green coffee beans

Viego Global – Your trusted sourcing partner in Vietnam

Are you sourcing coffee beans from Vietnam? Do you need a source of high quality coffee? If you want to connect with any qualified coffee producers in Vietnam that pay strict attention to their beans, please comment below so we could help you out easily. Being presence at the factory location, Viego Global has the capability to professionally source, manufacture and execute order providing maximum benefit to our clients in terms of delivering a wide range of products at the best competitive pricing. Please contact us HERE for further support!

For further information about COVID-19 AND ITS IMPACT ON VIETNAM COFFEE MARKET, please refer to our other channels of Vietnam Coffee:

• Website: https://viegoglobal.com/category/vietnam-coffee-market/
• Facebook: facebook.com/vietnam.coffee.robusta.arabica.import.export
• Instagram: instagram.com/vietnam__quality__coffee
• Tiktok: tiktok.com/@vietnamcoffeeexport
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/https://www.youtube.com/@VietnamCoffeebeansViegoGlobal
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/viego-global-green-coffee-beans/
• X/Twitter: https://x.com/ViegoCoffee

Or contact us directly at:

1. Whatsapp/Wechat: +84 90 827 90 98
2. Email: coffee@viegoglobal.com

Among Asian countries, Vietnam has long been one of the most popular choices in the field of sourcing. Being the world’s second-largest coffee producer, the country has gained so much popularity in global coffee market. For its export sales, and its vibrant local coffee culture, Vietnam has established a good reputation as a source of mass commercial Robusta coffee. How about Vietnam’s specialty coffee? Are high-quality Robusta and Arabica coffee produced in Vietnam? Read on to find out more about Vietnam’s specialty coffee and fine Robusta.

In order to provide a deeper insight on Vietnam’s Coffee Market, we’ve created this series along with tips on how to select the best beans from Vietnam for your business. Jump to: 

• A start-to-finish guide to coffee beans market in Vietnam
• Best types of coffee beans to source in Vietnam
• How to find wholesale coffee suppliers in Vietnam

1. How do Vietnam define its specialty coffee?

The words “specialty coffee” often refers to the arabica, while robusta coffee connoisseurs use the synonymous words “fine robusta.” They all refer to coffee that are high-quality, typically single origin, and meticulously mindful of every phase of the supply chain – from equitable relationships with the coffee farmers, to extraordinary flavors for the consumer. Accordingly, the arabica is promoted for its delicate flavor while the robusta is advertised for its fine taste. To be assessed as Specialty and Fine Ro, the beans must have no first-grade error, which affects its flavor and quality, and less than five second-grade errors, which affect its appearance, such as color.

In general, the Vietnam’s specialty and fine robusta coffee must have no defect in appearance and flavor, and especially keep the particular feature of the place where it is grown. Hence, such high-quality coffee require exceptional effort to produce:

The coffee material must be properly ripe coffee beans from a specific farm or region. There is no universal specialty  coffee. It’s no specialty coffee when all coffee shops in a city serve the same coffee. The coffee shop owner and the coffee farmer must cooperate closely in the coffee farming process, such as fertilization and weather observation for abnormal phenomena. The farmer must cooperate with the coffee processor for proper coffee drying and processing. In general, the coffee bean must be perfect and have no defect. Therefore, coffee bean tendering, picking and processing make up a large part of the coffee price.

Coffee farming is closely monitored, but the quality control of coffee beans at specialty coffee enterprises is even more stringent. All coffee beans must go through careful examination and initial tasting. The warehouse keeper must arrange coffee bags carefully by origin, note the time of stocking the bags and the volume of coffee, and the time of putting the coffee bean into the coffee roaster. The roasted coffee must be preserved carefully to prevent humidity and oiling. Therefore, all specialty coffee shops have the menus stated with the coffee origin, the date of coffee roasting and the dominant coffee flavor. The shop owners may be found to have flouted the business ethics if they serve customers coffee roasted around a fortnight ago! (Nguyen Quang Binh, The Saigon Times)

2. Specialty coffee production expanding in Vietnam

As a giant in coffee industry, Vietnam has long been dominated by Robusta, which makes up more than 96% of the coffee crops. As Robusta coffee is less aroma and contains higher caffeine than Arabica, it is often used for instant coffee and low-quality blends. However these days, the growth of specialty coffee industry, combined with low prices for commercial robusta coffee, has encouraged Vietnamese coffee farmers to grow higher quality Robusta coffee and cultivate the more-difficult-to-grow Arabica.

More than Catimor variety

The main variety planted in Vietnam is Catimor, a hybrid of Caturra and Timor (itself an Arabica-Robusta hybrid). While Catimor is a high-yield and high disease-resilient variety, it’s not typically prized for its cup quality. So, many producers are turning to other varieties to produce more dynamic and higher-paying coffees. These new varieties include Yellow Bourbon, Typica, and even the delicate and highly prized Geisha (perfectdailygrind).

For other coffee farmers with effort to improve coffee quality, instead of cultivating more and more varieties besides predominantly Robusta or Catimor, they focus on develop better quality for Catimor by cultivating and processing.

Improving production method for the best specialty coffee in Vietnam

Vietnamese producers are also working on improving their selection and processing techniques. This focus on improvement begins at harvest time. They have begun to employ more careful harvesting techniques, and better post-harvest quality controls are increasingly being implemented. The traditional picking technique, which means that ripe and unripe coffee is strip picked before being spread, unsorted for defects, on tarps to dry in the sun, is gradually replaced by a much selective procedure.

Other producers are even venturing into advanced processing to increase harvest quality and, ultimately, sale price. Some producers are controlling fermentation with on yeast or enzymes, others are using anaerobic fermentation. Although these efforts are being made on small lots, these producers are looking for ways to improve the entire coffee crop. New processing methods are always risky and costly – but with the positive encouragement of the Vietnamese government, the future of Vietnamese coffee is sure to be a high-quality coffee market.

Viego Global – Your trusted sourcing partner in Vietnam

Are you sourcing coffee beans from Vietnam? Do you need a source of high quality coffee? If you want to connect with any qualified coffee producers in Vietnam that pay strict attention to their beans, please comment below so we could help you out easily. Being presence at the factory location, Viego Global has the capability to professionally source, manufacture and execute order providing maximum benefit to our clients in terms of delivering a wide range of products at the best competitive pricing. Please contact us HERE for further support!

For further information about EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT VIETNAM’S SPECIALTY COFFEE, please refer to our other channels of Vietnam Coffee:

• Website: https://viegoglobal.com/category/vietnam-coffee-market/
• Facebook: facebook.com/vietnam.coffee.robusta.arabica.import.export
• Instagram: instagram.com/vietnam__quality__coffee
• Tiktok: tiktok.com/@vietnamcoffeeexport
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/https://www.youtube.com/@VietnamCoffeebeansViegoGlobal
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/viego-global-green-coffee-beans/
• X/Twitter: https://x.com/ViegoCoffee

Or contact us directly at:

1. Whatsapp/Wechat: +84 90 827 90 98
2. Email: coffee@viegoglobal.com

Products are the lifeline when it comes to doing business. You require to source goods at wholesale rates to your local clients. Pricing, condition and transportation are essential factors. Furthermore, the country to source from also matters to a great extent. And among all other countries, sourcing green coffee beans from Vietnam gives you a new edge. However, knowing the origin of the coffee beans, is only the beginning of a long list of properties needed to be known about the coffee beans being considered for purchase. Grinding this ultimate guide for a better understanding on the green coffee beans quality from Vietnam. 

We’ve created this series to provide a deeper insight on Vietnam’s Coffee Market, along with tips on how to select the best beans from Vietnam for your business. Jump to: 

• A start-to-finish guide to coffee beans market in Vietnam
• Best types of coffee beans to source in Vietnam
• How to find wholesale coffee suppliers in Vietnam

1. Overview of green coffee beans processing technique in Vietnam

 

                         

                                Processing Vietnam’s Green Coffee Beans Summary

Assembled & designed by Viego Reseach Team

After harvesting, the beans are sorted and cleaned by flotation to separate unripe, overripe, and damaged cherries and remove dirt and leaves. In Vietnam, coffee beans are most commonly processed using one of three methods: natural, washed or honey processing. They are then processed and dried to a moisture level of about 11% by either of three methods. Read the details of each processing method on how Vietnam’s coffee beans are processed. After being processed, the beans are sent to a mill for hulling, where the outer layers of the beans, including the parchment, are mechanically removed. To separate impurities, black and broken beans, the producers use color sorting machine to shoot the odd ones out. The beans are then sorted by size and weight, examined to remove any unacceptable beans, and graded on the basis of size, processing methods and taste. The beans may be also wet polished to remove any silver skin remaining on the beans. As a result, the so-called green coffee beans are bagged, stored and shipped to importing countries for roasting and grinding. Therefore, a number of factors affect the green bean quality, starting at cultivation, continued by picking, drying, processing, milling, storing and transporting. 

2. Are you getting the best green coffee beans from Vietnam?

Look at the appearance of the green coffee beans

To control the quality of your purchases, you must always get a representative green coffee bean sample for your first-hand evaluation. When receiving the sample, it is necessary to visually inspect the spread of beans for color, color variation, bean size, bean shapes, and general uniformity. A non-uniform bean appearance indicates poor preparation or blending of different types of coffee beans. If this happens, it will reveal itself even more after the beans are roasted. Various bean sizes and shapes in one sample show a lack of proper preparation. Presence of many defects, definitely means that the beans have not been well produced. Note the number and type of defects refer to the grading chart. If there are many defects, sort out the defects and weigh for wt% content.

Also remember to pay close attention to the beans’ color. Faded green to gray color mean that some deterioration has occurred in the shipment. A gray color means serious quality deterioration, such as over heated and prolonged storage. Many black beans will give a “dirty” taste while white beans could weaken the flavor, hence resulting in a low grade coffee.

Know your bean’s processing method

You should always inquire about the coffee processing.  Since coffee begins fermenting immediately upon picking, make sure that your green coffee beans are processed upon harvesting without delay. Processing damage can occur from the time the ripe fruit is picked until it is processed. For instance, fermentation, rotting, mold growth, over-heating or improper storage. Therefore, ask the Vietnamese supplier as much as possible about the processing procedure they apply for the green coffee beans. Do they separate out coffees that float to the top of the tanks during process?  After pulping, do they separate coffees by density before adding them to the tanks?  If coffee pulp is present in the tanks during processing, it can result in brownish tinges on the green coffee beans.  This is also indicative of harvesting over-ripe coffee cherries.

Natural processed coffees will often be covered in brown silver skin which has attached itself to the bean.  Green (under ripe) coffee also has a silver skin attached to it, but this cannot be removed by simple rubbing. Notice the under-ripe green coffee beans with this tip. Wash-processed Arabica coffees beans should be even and bright.  The beans should not have an uneven or dull color.  Otherwise, there is a high likelihood that they have been dried or processed incorrectly. 

Have a smell at the green coffee beans

Before buying any green coffee beans from Vietnam, remember to smell the green beans to determine if there are any “off” odors, like mold, ferment, smoke or foreign matters. These signs could be easily detected at this point. Fresh coffee beans should have an intense aroma. If you can not easily smell your beans, then they are likely to well past their prime. You could notice the beans have gone stale when they lose pretty much all coffee aroma. They just smell bitter now. If you detect an especially sour smell, it a sign the bean’s gone bad. This can be because the beans were exposed to moisture and have fermented in the meantime, or possibly they’ve gone rancid

Find reputable Vietnamese suppliers with a good-quality source of green coffee beans

In most cases, the buying process is a trade of trust. The trust in those who will follow-up at origin with producers, farmers and suppliers to ensure that all good-quality coffee practices are met before the coffee is being shipped. When you are seeking for a trustworthy coffee supplier from Vietnam, look for these must-know elements. Ideally, you want to have the opportunity to evaluate the coffee from the start of the buying process to lower the potential risks and meet your standards. However, if you are a foreigner exporter sourcing coffee from Vietnam, you had better have someone accompany you on the way.  At Viego, we do all of that and much more.

Check out our complete list of green coffee bean suppliers in Vietnam that pay strict attention to their beans

Viego Global – Your trusted sourcing partner in Vietnam

Are you sourcing coffee green beans from Vietnam? Do you need a supply of good quality and at good price? If you want to connect with any qualified coffee manufacturers in Vietnam, please comment below so we could help you out easily. Being presence at the factory location, Viego Global has the capability to professionally source, manufacture and execute order providing maximum benefit to our clients in terms of delivering a wide range of products at the best competitive pricing. Please contact us HERE for further support!

For further information about ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO CHECKING THE QUALITY OF VIETNAM GREEN COFFEE BEANS, please refer to our other channels of Vietnam Coffee:

• Website: https://viegoglobal.com/category/vietnam-coffee-market/
• Facebook: facebook.com/vietnam.coffee.robusta.arabica.import.export
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• Tiktok: tiktok.com/@vietnamcoffeeexport
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• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/viego-global-green-coffee-beans/
• X/Twitter: https://x.com/ViegoCoffee

Or contact us directly at:

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2. Email: coffee@viegoglobal.com

For most people in the coffee industry, robusta is viewed as an inferior coffee. The general belief is that robusta beans produce a worse cup of coffee with a less desirable flavour profile. It is cheaper to grow for farmers, more productive, naturally higher in caffeine, and resistant to drought and disease. As a result, robusta is viewed as a “filler” coffee, used in blends and instant coffee.

Although this isn’t totally incorrect, there are a lot of misconceptions about robusta. One of the biggest is that robusta technically isn’t a different species of coffee at all, but instead one of the most common commercial names for the Coffea canephora plant.

This article explores what canephora is, what the differences are between conilon and robusta coffee, and how canephora could evolve in the future.

WHAT IS CANEPHORA COFFEE?

According to the International Coffee Organization (ICO), canephora accounts for approximately 35% of the world’s total coffee production. It was only cultivated outside of Africa in the 19th century, almost 300 years after arabica plants left the continent. As a result, little is known about its history, botanical background, varieties, and cultivars in comparison to arabica.

Vietnam is the world’s largest canephora producer, followed by Brazil. Mexico is the only other Latin American country that produces robusta at any kind of significant rate. Other notable canephora producing countries are the Ivory Coast, Indonesia, India, and Uganda.

In comparison with arabica plants, canephora is generally hardier, more productive as a crop, and its cherries achieve more uniform ripening. It also has a naturally higher caffeine content. While they thrive in high temperatures or tropical climates at a lower altitude, canephora plants can be farmed at altitudes as low as 100 m.a.s.l.

Generally, the world’s biggest canephora/robusta buyers are major roasters and manufacturers. They use it in a variety of caffeinated products, including capsules, blends, and energy drinks. Demand for robusta is also on the rise. The ICO reports that in the 12 months leading up to May 2020, arabica exports decreased, while robusta exports increased.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ROBUSTA AND CONILON?

Coffea canephora is the scientific name of the coffee plant that produces beans that are commercially referred to as robusta in general. However, much of the canephora coffee produced in Brazil, is instead referred to as conilon. While the plants are of the same species, they are considered to be of different genetic “groups”.

Christophe Montagnon, CEO of RD2 Vision, tells me that conilon plants come from a genetic group called “SG1”, while the broader genetic group of robusta plants is referred to as “SG2”.

“The Coffea canephora species is made of different genetic groups,” Christophe explains. “One of two Congolese groups encompasses coffees from Central Africa, mostly from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda.” The first group is broadly recognised as robusta, Christophe tells me.

“The other one of these two Congolese groups is referred to either as ‘SG1’ or as ‘conilon’,” he says.

Conilon plants, farmed in Brazil today, were originally found along the river Kouilou in the Democratic Republic of Congo. When written down, the “Kouilou” was misspelt, and became “Konilon”, later becoming “conilon”.

As a result, conilon plants do have a genetic origin that differs from “typical” robusta plants, but are still the same species and possess many of the same traits. There are however slight differences between the conilon “line” and others.

For example, conilon plants do not grow as tall, and have a larger canopy than typical robustas. They also mature more early, have smaller leaves, and are often more resistant to drought.

Often, plants from both genetic groups are farmed together. Christophe explains that conilon plants mature later in the season. So, for example, in Brazil, some producers instead plant both conilon and robusta plants which will mature at different times. This allows them to effectively plant for a number of consecutive harvests.

CANEPHORA HYBRIDS

Dr Aymbiré Francisco Almeida is a scientist who used to work with two coffee research institutes in Brazil: the Brazilian National Coffee Research Consortium Center (Embrapa), and Incaper. He has studied canephora for three decades.

He tells me that one of the challenges with canephora hybrids and cultivars is that “the canephora species has open fertilisation,” meaning that “there’s no pure line as is the case with arabica”. This makes it difficult to trace the genetic history of a certain hybrid variety.

However, some arabica varieties contain genes from the canephora species. This is the case with Icatu, Sarchimos and Catimor, among others.

AN INCREASE IN QUALITY?

Canephora coffees are typically used to add strength and caffeine to arabica coffee blends and beverages. Aymbiré says that “mixing arabica with high-quality canephora brings desirable advantages: the body and the crema capacity are increased, both typical characteristics of a canephora cup”.

He also notes that consumer choices today aren’t driven by the traits of certain species or varieties. Instead, people choose coffees according to taste and personal preferences.

“Unfortunately… research has not been carried out on [canephora’s] individual sensory attributes”, say Ted Lingle and Sunalini Menon, authors of The Craft and Science of Coffee.

Quality robusta is becoming more prevalent in the coffee sector. Requirements for all coffees have increased, regardless of species, and quality standards are as high as they have ever been. “In addition to genetics, much has evolved in the past 30 years, such as crop management, harvesting, and processing,” Aymbiré says. He tells me that, these days, even the least careful canephora producer “washes, peels, and pulps their coffee” because farming without minimum quality standards is not practical.

However, this increased focus on quality comes with its own challenges. For example, higher quality canephoras usually require manual harvesting. Mechanised harvesting can damage the cherries, and many canephora plants have multiple stems, which means that using machines isn’t always the best option.

THE GROWTH OF SPECIALTY CANEPHORA COFFEE

Some producers find that when robustas are farmed and processed with the same care taken with specialty arabica, they can produce an intense and flavoursome cup. These coffees can have high acidity, medium sweetness, and low bitterness. The potential cup profile of a carefully produced and roasted canephora is a full-bodied coffee with a long aftertaste, low-medium acidity and bitterness. Some have even described the coffee as having notes of spices, flowers, and fruits including melon, walnut, nutmeg, and cacao.

Canephora can be processed, dried, and fermented in the same way as arabica, but the timings of each step will be different as the fruit has different characteristics. It also needs to be roasted differently, as canephora cherries have a much lower sugar content, fewer acids, and a rigid, “meatier” structure.

In 2010, the Coffee Quality Institute launched the official Q Robusta program, which focuses on quality robusta grading. It is adapted from the Specialty Coffee Association’s methodology for arabica. Brazil’s Specialty Coffee Association has also accepted canephora producers as members since 2018, and hosts an annual Canephora Cup of Excellence award.

Specialty robustas produced in the Amazon area of Rondônia, Brazil, will be the first in the world to receive a geographical indication (GI). This means that the coffee has been officially recognised as possessing certain qualities that are unique to its origin. Alongside Brazil, high-quality canephoras are also produced in other countries, including Ghana, Ecuador, the Philippines, India, and Thailand.

THE FUTURE OF CANEPHORA

World Coffee Research and the ICO have been developing research programs and studies to determine the quality potential of canephora. These initiatives aim to “change the underlying assumption that robusta coffees are necessarily lower quality”. Climate change and its impact on arabica plants mean the future could be brighter for robusta, which is a naturally stronger plant.

Recent trials and researches conducted by Embrapa also suggest that specific canephora cultivars could thrive at different altitudes and climates. This would expand the areas in which it could be grown. Canephora genetic material can be adapted to be viable at altitudes ranging from 500 to around 1,500 m.a.s.l.; colder climates at certain heights have also been shown to improve fruit quality, creating sweeter and bigger cherries. Similar programs conducted in India have also had successful results.

There could also be an increase in demand for canephora from outside the coffee industry. The natural high caffeine content of canephora varieties makes them suitable for use in cosmetics, diet supplements, isotonics, and energy drinks.

The canephora and arabica plants produce incredibly different coffees with varied cup attributes and flavour profiles. Many people in the specialty robusta world believe this is the biggest barrier to its success.

There are a wide range of researchers and producers investigating the quality potential of the different canephora subspecies. Some are already experimenting with them to improve their arabica crops’ yield or resistance to disease and pests.

However, if the species is to be accepted in the specialty coffee arena, buyers, traders, and roasters will also need to work alongside the researchers and producers investigating the potential of quality canephora.

Source: Perfectdailygrind.com 

Viego Global – Your trusted sourcing partner in Vietnam

Finding these kinds of article interesting? Check out more on how to import coffee beans from Vietnam with our Sourcing Blog on “Vietnam’s Coffee Market” series. 

Are you sourcing coffee green beans from Vietnam? Do you need a supply of good quality and at good price? If you want to connect with any qualified coffee manufacturers in Vietnam, please comment below so we could help you out easily. Being presence at the factory location, Viego Global has the capability to professionally source, manufacture and execute order providing maximum benefit to our clients in terms of delivering a wide range of products at the best competitive pricing. Please contact us HERE for further support!

For further information about EXPLORING THE CONNECTION BETWEEN CANEPHORA & ROBUSTA, please refer to our other channels of Vietnam Coffee:

• Website: https://viegoglobal.com/category/vietnam-coffee-market/
• Facebook: facebook.com/vietnam.coffee.robusta.arabica.import.export
• Instagram: instagram.com/vietnam__quality__coffee
• Tiktok: tiktok.com/@vietnamcoffeeexport
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/https://www.youtube.com/@VietnamCoffeebeansViegoGlobal
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/viego-global-green-coffee-beans/
• X/Twitter: https://x.com/ViegoCoffee

Or contact us directly at:

1. Whatsapp/Wechat: +84 90 827 90 98
2. Email: coffee@viegoglobal.com